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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · rest · fork · ground · pound · rash · last · bulb

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. rest — a break
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pound — a weight
  17. last — final
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fork — to eat with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com